Method and system for optimizing bandwidth cost via caching and other network transmission delaying techniques

• US 6,532,284 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2001
• Issued: 03/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Morgan Guaranty Trust Co. of New York (Hong Kong) (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Walker, Paul, Des Pallieres, Bertrand
• Primary Examiner(s): Tieu, Binh
• Application Number:
  US09/794,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20020118806A1
• Time in Patent Office: 742 Days
• Field of Search: 379/114.01, 379/114.02, 379/114.03, 379/114.05, 379/114.07, 379/114.09, 379/115.01, 379/115.03, 379/121.04, 379/121.06, 379/125, 379/128, 370/353, 370/355
• US Class Current: 379/144.06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8016 based on quality of service [QoS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8083 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions or volume discounts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 17/00 Prepayment of wireline communication systems, wireless communication systems or telephone systems using a coded card to authorise calls from a telephone set H04M1/675
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/0184 involving reduced rates or discounts, e.g. time-of-day reductions, volume discounts, cell discounts, group billing, frequent calling destination(s) or user history list
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/22 Bandwidth or usage-sensitve billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7414 QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection

Abstract

Methods and systems for optimizing bandwidth pricing for a data transmission system electronically connected to a source of bandwidth spot prices, where the data transmission system transmits data as packets to a predetermined destination, are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes the steps of: determining whether data can be transmitted at a later time to the predetermined destination; providing acceptable price and a maximum acceptable time delay for transmitting the data that can be transmitted at a later time; providing the acceptable price and the maximum acceptable time delay in each packet formed from dividing the data; determining whether a data packet should be stored in a storage device by looking for presence of the acceptable price in the data packet; if the acceptable price is not found in the data packet, sending the data packet to the predetermined destination, and if the acceptable price is found in the data packet, storing the data packet in the storage device; comparing the acceptable price in the data packet with a spot bandwidth price from the source; and transmitting the data packet to the predetermined destination if the spot bandwidth price is at or below the acceptable price or if the maximum acceptable time delay of the packet has been reached.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing bandwidth pricing for a data transmission system electronically connected to a source of bandwidth spot prices, the data transmission system transmitting data as packets to a predetermined destination, which method comprises:

determining whether delaying transmission of data to the predetermined destination is appropriate;

providing acceptable price for transmitting said data that can be transmitted at a later time;

providing maximum acceptable time delay for transmitting said data that can be transmitted at a later time;

providing said acceptable price and said maximum acceptable time delay within each packet formed from dividing said data;

determining whether a data packet should be stored in a storage device by looking for presence of said acceptable price within said data packet;

if said acceptable price is not found within said data packet, sending said data packet to the predetermined destination, and if said acceptable price is found within said data packet, storing said data packet in the storage device;

comparing said acceptable price within said data packet with a spot bandwidth price from the source; and

transmitting said data packet to the predetermined destination if said spot bandwidth price is at or below said acceptable price or if said maximum acceptable time delay for said packet has been reached.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said acceptable price is provided to each said packet formed from dividing said data by utilizing IPv6.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said acceptable price is provided in the header of each said packet formed from dividing said data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the source of bandwidth spot prices is an Electronic Communications Network.

5. A method for optimizing bandwidth pricing for a data transmission system electronically connected to a source of bandwidth spot prices, the data transmission system transmitting data as packets to a predetermined destination, which method comprises:

determining whether delaying transmission of data to the predetermined destination is appropriate;

providing acceptable price for transmitting said data that can be transmitted at a later time;

providing maximum acceptable time delay for transmitting said data that can be transmitted at a later time;

determining whether data should be stored in a storage device by looking for presence of said acceptable price associated with said data;

if said acceptable price is not found for said data, dividing said data into packets and sending said packets to the predetermined destination, and if said acceptable price is found for said data, storing said data in the storage device;

comparing said acceptable price for said data with a spot bandwidth price from the source;

dividing said data into packets;

providing said acceptable price and said maximum acceptable time delay within each of said packets; and

transmitting said packets to the predetermined destination if said spot bandwidth price is at or below said acceptable price or if said maximum acceptable time delay for said data has been reached.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the source of bandwidth spot prices is an Electronic Communications Network.

7. A system for optimizing bandwidth pricing for a data transmission system, the data transmission system transmitting data as packets to a predetermined destination, which optimization system comprises:

first software operable on the data transmission system to provide acceptable price and maximum acceptable time delay for data that can be transmitted at a later time;

second software operable on the data transmission system for including said acceptable price and said maximum acceptable time delay within each packet formed from dividing said data;

a storage device for storing packets having said acceptable price within said packet, said storage device electronically connected to a source of bandwidth spot prices; and

said storage device transmitting said packets to the predetermined destination if a spot bandwidth price is at or below said acceptable price or if said maximum acceptable time delay has been reached.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said second software includes IPv6.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the data transmission system is a local area network.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising a router which routes said packets having said acceptable price to said storage device.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the source of bandwidth spot prices is an Electronic Communications Network.

12. A method for optimizing bandwidth pricing for a data transmission system electronically connected to a source of bandwidth spot prices, the data transmitting system transmitting data as packets to a predetermined destination, the method comprising:

determining an acceptable price for transmitting said data packets at a later time;

determining a maximum acceptable time delay for transmitting said data packets at a later time;

including the acceptable price and the maximum acceptable time delay within each data packet; and

determining whether a data packet should be stored in a storage device by the presence or absence of the acceptable price within the data packet.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

sending the data packet to the predetermined location without storing the data packet in the storage device if the acceptable price is not within the data packet.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing the data packet in the storage device if the acceptable price is within the data packet.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

comparing the acceptable price within the data packet with a spot bandwidth price from the source of bandwidth spot prices.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

comparing the maximum acceptable time delay within the data packet with a current delay of the data packet.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting the data packet to the predetermined destination if a spot bandwidth price from the source of bandwidth spot prices is at or below the acceptable price.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

transmitting the data packet to the predetermined destination if the maximum acceptable time delay for the data packet has been reached.

19. Computer executable software code transmitted as an information signal, the code for optimizing bandwidth pricing for a data transmission system electronically connected to a source of bandwidth spot prices, the data transmission system transmitting data as packets to a predetermined destination, the code comprising:

code to determine whether delaying transmission of data to the predetermined destination is appropriate;

code to provide acceptable price for transmitting said data that can be transmitted at a later time;

code to provide maximum acceptable time delay for transmitting said data that can be transmitted at a later time;

code to provide said acceptable price and said maximum acceptable time delay within each packet formed from dividing said data;

code to determine whether a data packet should be stored in a storage device by looking for presence of said acceptable price within said data packet;

if said acceptable price is not found within said data packet, code to send said data packet to the predetermined destination, and if said acceptable price is found within said data packet, code to store said data packet in the storage device;

code to compare said acceptable price within said data packet with a spot bandwidth price from the source of bandwidth spot prices; and

code to transmit said data packet to the predetermined destination if said spot bandwidth price is at or below said acceptable price or if said maximum acceptable time delay for said packet has been reached.

20. A computer-readable medium having computer executable software code stored thereon, the code for optimizing bandwidth pricing for a data transmission system electronically connected to a source of bandwidth spot prices, the data transmission system transmitting data as packets to a predetermined destination, the code comprising:

code to determine whether delaying transmission of data to the predetermined destination is appropriate;

code to provide acceptable price for transmitting said data that can be transmitted at a later time;

code to provide maximum acceptable time delay for transmitting said data that can be transmitted at a later time;

code to provide said acceptable price and said maximum acceptable time delay within each packet formed from dividing said data;

code to determine whether a data packet should be stored in a storage device by looking for presence of said acceptable price within said data packet;

if said acceptable price is not found within said data packet, code to send said data packet to the predetermined destination, and if said acceptable price is found within said data packet, code to store said data packet in the storage device;

code to compare said acceptable price within said data packet with a spot bandwidth price from the source of bandwidth spot prices; and

code to transmit said data packet to the predetermined destination if said spot bandwidth price is at or below said acceptable price or if said maximum acceptable time delay for said packet has been reached.

21. A programmed computer for optimizing bandwidth pricing for a data transmission system electronically connected to a source of bandwidth spot prices, the data transmission system transmitting data as packets to a predetermined destination, comprising:

a memory having at least one region for storing computer executable program code; and

a processor for executing the program code stored in the memory;

wherein the program code comprises;

code to determine whether delaying transmission of data to the predetermined destination is appropriate;

code to provide acceptable price for transmitting said data that can be transmitted at a later time;

code to provide maximum acceptable time delay for transmitting said data that can be transmitted at a later time;

code to provide said acceptable price and said maximum acceptable time delay within each packet formed from dividing said data;

code to determine whether a data packet should be stored in a storage device by looking for presence of said acceptable price within said data packet;

if said acceptable price is not found within said data packet, code to send said data packet to the predetermined destination, and if said acceptable price is found within said data packet, code to store said data packet in the storage device;

code to compare said acceptable price within said data packet with a spot bandwidth price from the source of bandwidth spot prices; and

code to transmit said data packet to the predetermined destination if said spot bandwidth price is at or below said acceptable price or if said maximum acceptable time delay for said packet has been reached.